Actress Olivia Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
The actress, who appeared in X-Men: Apocalypse, revealed on Wednesday that she underwent treatment last year for breast cancer. She posted several photos on Instagram, People reported.
“In February of 2023, in an effort to be proactive about my health, I took a genetic test that checks you for 90 different cancer genes,” she said. “I tested negative for all, including BRCA (the most well-known breast cancer gene). My sister Sara had just tested negative as well. We called each other and high-fived over the phone. That same winter I also had a normal mammogram.”
“Two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she said. “In the past ten months I have had four surgeries, so many days spent in bed I can’t even count and have learned more about cancer, cancer treatment and hormones than I ever could have imagined.”
“Surprisingly, I’ve only cried twice. I guess I haven’t felt like there was time to cry. My focus narrowed and I tabled any emotions that I felt would interfere with my ability to stay clearheaded,” Munn said.
She said she didn’t immediately disclose her diagnosis because she “needed to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing.”
She lauded OB/GYN Dr. Thais Aliabadi who calculated her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score.
“The fact that she did saved my life,” Munn said.
“Dr. Aliabadi looked at factors like my age, familial breast cancer history, and the fact that I had my first child after the age of 30. She discovered my lifetime risk was at 37%. Because of that score I was sent to get an MRI, which led to an ultrasound, which then led to a biopsy. The biopsy showed I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts. Luminal B is an aggressive, fast moving cancer.”
Munn had a double mastectomy about a month after her biopsy.
“I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next,” she wrote. “I’m lucky. We caught it with enough time that I had options. I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day.”
She thanked her friends and family for being there for her.
“I’m so thankful to my friends and family for loving me through this. I’m so thankful to [John Mulaney] for the nights he spent researching what every operation and medication meant and what side effects and recovery I could expect,” she wrote. “For being there before I went into each surgery and being there when I woke up, always placing framed photos of our little boy Malcolm so it would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.”
